Earlier this week, Apple released its brand new iOS 8.1.3 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The update arrives ahead of iOS 8.2 and it delivers a series of bug fixes for iOS 8 problems. With an iOS 8.1.3 release here, we want to take a look at some tips that we think will help those currently on iOS 8.1.3 and those still thinking about making the move.

Weeks ago, a rumor suggested that we would see an iOS 8.1.3 update for iPhone and iPad emerge in the early part of the year, ahead of Apple’s confirmed iOS 8.2 update for iPhone and iPad. In the weeks after that initial rumor, we saw a number of unofficial but credible iOS 8.1.3 details emerge. After weeks of silence, Apple finally cleared things up for iPhone and iPad users earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Apple released its iOS 8.1.3 update for iPhone and iPad. The update is a fairly large incremental update that’s aimed at squashing lingering iOS 8 problems and improving performance on Apple’s iOS 8 powered iPhones, iPads and the fifth-gen iPod touch. It represents the sixth iOS 8 update that Apple’s rolled out since the original back in September of last year.

Many iPhone and iPad users have already updated to the iOS 8.1.3 update. Others are still holding out either because they’re scared of problems or because they don’t even know about the iOS 8.1.3 update’s arrival. Today, we want to offer some tips to both groups of people. To those who already made the jump and to those that haven’t.

This collection of iOS 8.1.3 tips will help make the upgrade to Apple’s new iOS 8.1.3 less stressful for many iPhone and iPad users. They should also help to improve the performance for those that have already made the jump to Apple’s brand new iOS 8 update. Keep these in mind as we push further and further away from the iOS 8.1.3 release date.

Gather Feedback

This is maybe the most important iOS 8.1.3 tip that we can offer to iPhone and iPad users. Before you install, or even if you have already installed iOS 8.1.3, we recommend gathering as much feedback as possible on the iOS 8.1.3 update. This allows users who haven’t installed to come to a more educated decision about the upgrade and it will allow those of you already on the update to gather useful information about the update’s inner workings.

Just remember. You do not need to install the iOS 8.1.3 update right now. Apple never forces you to install its updates and you can stick around on whatever you’re currently on for as long as you want to. There’s no need to rush into the iOS 8.1.3 update. Take your time, research potential problems, and talk with people. You’ll be in a much better place if you do.

Prepare

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again. If you’re thinking about installing the iOS 8.1.3 update on the iPhone or iPad, you need to prepare your device. We’ve put together a number of steps that we think you should take before you install the software on board your device and we highly recommend absorbing those steps before making a move.

You Can “Try’ iOS 8.1.3

For a limited time, you can try out iOS 8.1.3. What we mean is that you can install it, and if something goes wrong, you can revert back to iOS 8.1.2 if that’s where you’re coming from.

Don’t Panic If You Run Into iOS 8.1.3 Problems

If you run into iOS 8.1.3 problems on the iPhone or iPad, and we know that many people have, do not panic. Know that there are not only an assortment of fixes out there but that an iOS 8.2 update is only weeks away.

iOS 8.1.3 users are complaining about a number of different problems at the moment. They range from battery life problems to Wi-Fi issues to the usual array of problems with Bluetooth. We haven’t heard about any major flaws affecting the iOS 8.1.3 update but it’s clear that there are isolated issues impacting some iPhone and iPad users.

Apple is less inclined to fix minor iOS bugs so if you do run into some smaller bugs, you’ll need to be very proactive. If you aren’t, you could be sitting around for a number of weeks while Apple prepares its iOS 8.2 update. The iOS 8.2 update may not arrive until March or April so you are going to really want to buckle down.

No iOS 8.1.3 Jailbreak

Finally, if you want to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad or if you’ve even given it a thought, avoid the iOS 8.1.3 update. It breaks the iOS 8.1.2 jailbreak and it’s not clear when or if the developers behind the popular jailbreaks will release an iOS 8.1.3 jailbreak. It could be that they simply wait for iOS 8.2 to arrive before releasing another one. It’s not clear but you won’t want to take any chances.

You’ll want to do extensive research before deciding to skip iOS 8.1.3 in favor of jailbreaking. There are pros and cons of jailbreaking and you’ll want to ensure that you really want to go through with the process.

Those of you who are thinking about jailbreaking your main device will want to do extra research because there’s always a chance that the jailbreak will have a negative impact on performance in key areas.